Chapter 169 · Full Capacity

The manufacturing complex on Phindar approved their proposal at eight seventeen the following morning.

Eli had been awake for approximately six minutes when the notification arrived, which was considerably less time than he generally required to develop a civilized attitude toward the galaxy. He was standing in the galley, waiting for the caff maker to finish its cycle, when his datapad chimed.

He opened the message, read it twice and promptly forgot about the caff. "Stent!" The chiss appeared in the doorway a few moments later, carrying Ch'eth, who was still sufficiently sleepy to tolerate being held without attempting to climb up anyone's sleeve. "We got it."

Stent looked at the datapad Eli was waving in his direction. "The Phindar contract?"

"Approved. Full amount, no revised delivery window, and they want confirmation before the end of the morning."

"Excellent."

"That's it? Excellent?"

"Would you prefer a more elaborate response?"

"I was hoping for a little celebration. We've just landed ourselves two perfectly respectable freight contracts."

Stent transferred Ch'eth to one arm and accepted the datapad with his free hand. He examined the message, checked the attached contract and nodded.

"The delivery terms are consistent with their original proposal. We should confirm both contracts immediately."

"There we go. That's the enthusiasm I was looking for."

Stent handed the datapad back. "Your caff is ready."

Eli glanced toward the machine, where his neglected cup was about to overflow. "Right. That too."

By the time they finished breakfast, both contracts had been accepted and the Faded Glory had been assigned a loading window at one of Jiruus's commercial freight terminals. Their first shipment consisted of replacement processing equipment destined for an industrial depot on Hijado. Once they delivered it, they would return to Phindar to collect the manufactured components that had been waiting for transport to Quelli.

The whole arrangement was perfectly legitimate, reasonably profitable and almost offensively straightforward.

There was, however, one aspect of the itinerary that Eli found particularly irritating.

He was examining their route on the cockpit display when Stent joined him. "Look at this." Stent looked. Eli traced the route with his finger. "Jiruus, Vjun, Gala, Phindar, Botajef, Hijado. Then back through Botajef to Phindar. We're practically flying past our second pickup on the way to the first delivery."

"The available hyperroutes do not provide a more efficient alternative."

"I know. That's what makes it so annoying."

Their passage through Phindar's system would take them close enough to the planet to pick up its traffic-control transmissions, but not close enough to make the detour worthwhile. Even if the manufacturing complex had been prepared to release its shipment early, carrying it to Hijado and back would have meant paying to transport cargo several thousand parsecs in the wrong direction.

The obvious solution, Eli decided, would have been for the manufacturing complex to arrange its shipments through an operator already serving Hijado.

Unfortunately, if the galaxy's freight coordinators had been particularly good at organizing such things, he and Stent would not have found themselves with two lucrative contracts in the first place.

"Ten jumps," he muttered. "Eight thousand four hundred and nine parsecs. Ten days and nearly fifteen hours in hyperspace, and that's before we account for loading, unloading and whatever nonsense traffic control decides to inflict on us."

Stent examined the itinerary. "At least the first two deliveries are compatible with our available capacity."

"Don't tempt fate."

"I am not aware that fate is particularly susceptible to temptation."

"Trust me. Freight definitely is."

The loading operation on Jiruus was completed with an efficiency so unexpected that Eli spent the first twenty minutes waiting for something to go wrong.

The equipment arrived on time. The manifests were accurate. The containers were properly secured to their transport pallets, and the receiving supervisor had apparently read the relevant instructions before beginning the job.

Better still, nobody attempted to introduce an additional inspection requirement halfway through the process.

Eli watched the final pallet disappear into the Faded Glory's hold and turned to Stent. "Something's wrong." Stent looked up from the cargo manifest. "Everything appears to be in order."

"Exactly."

Their shipment occupied slightly more than half the hold, leaving sufficient room for additional freight if they encountered a suitable opportunity along the route. Eli had considered taking a small secondary contract, but the available listings would have required them to spend at least another day on Jiruus.

He decided that getting under way was worth considerably more than the additional income.

While the cargo handlers secured the last containers, Stent completed the departure paperwork and Tee supervised the ramp with an enthusiasm that suggested he was delighted finally to see it functioning as intended.

The new locks engaged properly on the first attempt.

Eli regarded the indicator panel with satisfaction. "Look at that. We own a ship with a ramp that actually closes and is almost impossible to break."

"A considerable achievement."

"Don't be sarcastic. I've spent more time repairing that thing than I care to remember." Tee emitted an indignant beep. "Yes, you helped." Another beep. "All right, you helped a lot."

Stent finished reviewing the loading certificate and transferred the documentation to the ship's computer. "We have clearance to depart in forty minutes."

"Then I suggest we leave before someone discovers another form we haven't filled in."

Their departure from Jiruus proved as uneventful as the loading operation. Traffic control assigned them a corridor, instructed them to maintain their designated departure altitude and cleared them for the first leg toward Vjun.

Nobody asked for an additional declaration. Nobody requested another cargo inspection. Nobody appeared remotely interested in them.

Eli considered it a very satisfactory beginning.

By the time Jiruus disappeared behind them, Ch'eth was asleep in his enclosure, the hold was properly secured and Stent had already begun calculating whether they could improve their estimated arrival time without increasing fuel consumption excessively.

For once, they had absolutely nothing to do except fly the ship.

The first leg felt pleasantly familiar to Eli. With their cargo secured, their delivery schedule confirmed and nothing more pressing to worry about than reaching Hijado on time, they had settled into the sort of routine he had known since childhood. His parents' ships had spent years carrying freight between distant systems, and although his own career had taken him rather far from the family business, there was something satisfying about finally putting all that experience to profitable use.

After nearly six months aboard the Faded Glory, neither of them needed much discussion to organize their watches or divide the routine maintenance. The difference was that they now had a proper commercial itinerary to follow, with confirmed deliveries and paying customers waiting at the other end. For once, nobody was shooting at them, chasing them or demanding that they improvise an escape plan. Eli intended to enjoy the novelty for as long as it lasted.

Eli took the earlier watch, Stent the later one, and Tee monitored the ship's systems whenever both of them were occupied elsewhere. They took turns preparing meals, inspecting the cargo restraints and entertaining Ch'eth, whose principal contribution to the operation consisted of attempting to escape his enclosure whenever he suspected something interesting was happening outside it.

By the second day, Eli had discovered that the little kivren particularly enjoyed chasing objects across the common-room floor. Unfortunately, he also enjoyed hiding them.

"Have you seen my stylus?"

Stent looked up from his datapad. "Which one?"

"The good one."

"Have you checked beneath the bench?"

Eli crouched, retrieved a stylus, two pieces of knotted fabric and a small metal fitting that he had not realized was missing, then looked toward Ch'eth. The animal was sitting beside Stent's foot, watching him with apparent satisfaction. "He's building a collection."

"He appears to prefer objects that are easily carried."

"Wonderful. We're transporting an aspiring thief."

Stent glanced at him.

"Considering your recent activities, I would be careful about making accusations." He joked, implying the two jars of Lysatran quince preserve Sent had shoplifted.

"That's entirely different."

"Naturally."

Eli returned the stylus to his pocket and made a mental note to inspect Ch'eth's hiding places more frequently.

They reached Vjun according to schedule, completed their navigational checks and continued along the Salin Corridor through Gala toward Phindar. The traffic along the corridor was lighter than Eli had expected, although several commercial captains were complaining about revised clearance procedures and the increasing frequency with which scheduled military transport was being reassigned.

Eli listened to the complaints with professional interest.

According to one particularly irritated hauler, a shipment of industrial power converters had spent eleven days waiting for an available carrier because the vessel originally assigned to it had been diverted to an undisclosed military destination.

"See?" Eli said, switching off the channel. "There's our entire business model."

Stent examined the traffic report. "Someone else's inability to maintain an adequate transport schedule?"

"Precisely. We provide the solution, everybody gets what they want, and we charge accordingly."

"Within the limits of our contractual obligations."

"Yes, Commander."

They passed through the Phindar system without stopping.

Eli watched the planet's position move across their navigational display and sighed. "Feels wrong."

"The cargo for Hijado has priority."

"I know. I'm just saying it feels wrong, we could have followed a more optimal route…"

Three days later, after traversing the next section of the Salin Corridor, they reached Botajef and joined the Hydian Way for the final approach to Hijado.

The difference in traffic was immediately apparent.

The major hyperroute carried an almost continuous procession of commercial vessels, passenger transports and military traffic. Compared with the comparatively quiet corridors they had followed from Jiruus, the approach to Hijado was practically crowded.

Eli studied the traffic display.

"Now this looks more like civilization."

Stent glanced at the congestion advisory that had just appeared on their navigation console.

"Traffic control estimates a forty-minute delay."

"All the comforts of home."

Hijado's industrial depot was an enormous collection of warehouses, processing facilities and cargo-handling installations that had apparently been designed according to the principle that anything attractive was an unnecessary expense.

Their assigned landing bay stood between two sprawling storage buildings, both surrounded by stacks of containers awaiting collection. A procession of heavy cargo lifters moved between the warehouses, occasionally stopping to allow smaller utility vehicles to cross their paths.

The depot's receiving supervisor was waiting when the Faded Glory's ramp descended. "Processing assemblies?"

"Thirty-eight standard cargo units," Eli confirmed. "Full shipment. All documentation included."

The supervisor checked the manifest. "You're two days ahead of the revised delivery estimate."

"Always happy to exceed expectations." Eli grinned.

"That's a first."

Eli decided not to ask.

The unloading took most of the afternoon. Their customer had sufficient handling equipment available, but several of the assemblies required individual inspections before the delivery could be formally accepted. Eli spent an hour accompanying the receiving supervisor from one container to another while Stent and Tee supervised the removal of the cargo.

The inspection eventually concluded without incident.

Their payment was authorized, the delivery certificate issued, and the first contract completed.

Eli examined the confirmation on his datapad. "One down."

Stent was already reviewing the next collection window. "The Phindar shipment is ready. They have confirmed that we may collect it upon arrival."

"Excellent. Anything worth taking back with us in the meantime?"

There was.

A small equipment supplier operating from the same depot had been trying to arrange transport for a collection of machine tools and replacement parts destined for Phindar. The shipment was too small to interest the larger commercial operators, and its advertised rate was correspondingly modest. For the Faded Glory, however, the cargo was practically ideal. They were going to Phindar anyway.

Eli accepted the contract after a brief negotiation that increased the payment sufficiently to cover their additional handling costs.

Stent examined the details. "That was considerably more efficient than our original arrangement."

"Thank you. I do occasionally know what I'm doing."

"I was referring to the opportunity."

"Of course you were."

They loaded the additional cargo the following morning and departed Hijado with a considerably more attractive balance sheet than Eli had anticipated.

The return journey through Botajef was uneventful.

They had begun to appreciate uneventful journeys.

Their troubles on Phindar began with lunch.

Eli would subsequently maintain that there had been absolutely nothing suspicious about the restaurant. It was a busy establishment frequented by transport crews, local workers and several members of the manufacturing complex's administrative staff. The menu was reasonably priced, the dining area appeared clean and the food smelled considerably better than anything they had been eating aboard the Faded Glory for the past week.

Stent had ordered a local seafood dish.

Eli had selected something involving roasted meat, vegetables and a sauce whose principal ingredient he had been unable to identify.

Both meals were perfectly satisfactory.

At least, that was what he thought at the time.

They returned to the manufacturing complex shortly afterward, delivered the equipment they had collected on Hijado and proceeded to the loading office to arrange collection of their next shipment.

That was when the second problem emerged.

The shipping coordinator was delighted to see them. Unfortunately, he had considerably more cargo than the original agreement specified. "There's been a slight adjustment," he explained, gesturing toward a collection of pallets occupying most of the adjoining loading area.

Eli studied them. "How slight?"

"An additional twelve standard cargo units."

Eli looked at the original manifest. Then at the pallets. Then back at the coordinator. "Twelve?"

"We've had another shipment released for the redistribution station. The carrier assigned to it has been delayed, and we'd rather not wait another week."

"Our contract specifies thirty."

"Yes."

"Which would fit very comfortably in our hold."

"Naturally."

Eli folded his arms. "And you want us to carry forty-two."

The coordinator smiled hopefully. "We can offer an additional payment."

"How additional?"

The figure he quoted was sufficiently attractive that Eli immediately began calculating how much space they had available.

Stent, who had been inspecting the cargo specifications, looked considerably less enthusiastic. "We cannot accommodate the entire shipment in the hold without exceeding its designated capacity."

"Weight or volume?" Eli asked.

"Volume. The total mass remains within our operating limits."

"That's something."

"The distinction does not create additional storage space."

"No, but it means we have options."

The coordinator looked between them. "If you can take everything, I'll authorize the revised payment immediately. Otherwise, we'll have to arrange separate transport for the remaining units."

Eli examined the cargo more carefully.

Fortunately, the additional shipment consisted of relatively compact, properly packaged components that could be secured without requiring specialized handling equipment. The problem was simply that the Faded Glory's hold had been designed to accommodate a finite amount of freight, and their prospective customer was asking them to exceed it.

He glanced at Stent.

Stent appeared to know exactly what he was thinking. "No."

"I haven't said anything."

"You are considering the common room."

"Only the section we don't actually use."

"We use all of it."

"Not simultaneously."

The coordinator was watching them with increasing interest.

Eli explained that they might be able to accommodate the additional shipment, provided it consisted entirely of nonhazardous cargo and the revised loading arrangement was acceptable to the shipping authority.

The coordinator assured him that it was all ordinary industrial equipment.

He also assured Eli that, provided the cargo was properly secured and the total declared mass remained within the vessel's limits, the loading supervisor was unlikely to concern himself excessively with precisely where every container had been placed.

Eli recognized an invitation to mutual administrative discretion when he heard one. He asked for the revised payment in writing.

Stent's condition began to deteriorate halfway through the loading operation.

At first, Eli assumed he was simply irritated by the additional cargo.

That would have been entirely understandable. The original plan had involved collecting the manufactured components, securing them in the hold and departing the following morning. Instead, they were now attempting to determine how many crates could be accommodated in the common room without obstructing the galley, the sleeping quarters or access to the cockpit.

Stent had taken responsibility for calculating the additional load distribution and was examining the dimensions of the smaller containers when he abruptly put down his datapad.

"Excuse me."

Eli looked up. "Everything all right?"

"Yes. I shall return shortly."

He disappeared toward the ship's interior.

Eli thought nothing of it.

Ten minutes later, when Stent had not returned, he began to suspect that something was wrong.

Twenty minutes later, a greyish blue Stent, emerged looking distinctly uncomfortable, examined the remaining cargo and announced that he needed to rest for a moment.

That was considerably more concerning.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I believe something I ate has disagreed with me."

"How badly?"

Stent gave him a look that discouraged further inquiry.

Eli decided that the loading operation could survive without him. "Go on. I'll finish up here."

Stent did not argue. That was when Eli became genuinely worried.

By the time the last of the additional containers had been secured, Stent had made another two hurried visits to the fresher. He was pale by Chiss standards, increasingly irritable and apparently incapable of remaining comfortable for more than a few minutes at a time.

Eli found him sitting on the edge of his bunk, looking thoroughly miserable. "How are you doing?"

"Poorly."

"Well, that's a wonderfully reassuring answer."

Stent looked up. "Eli, I would prefer not to discuss the details."

"All right. Fine. But are you in pain?"

"Some abdominal discomfort."

"How much discomfort?"

"Enough."

Eli examined him with growing concern. He knew considerably more about Chiss physiology than he had when they first met, but that did not mean he was particularly enthusiastic about discovering which local foods might be incompatible with it. Stent had been perfectly healthy that morning. Now he was visibly unwell, unable to keep anything substantial in his stomach and making increasingly frequent trips to the fresher.

To make matters worse, they were supposed to depart within the hour. Their revised contract included a delivery deadline, and the additional cargo had already eaten into what little margin they had allowed themselves. Eli had no intention of risking a late-delivery penalty after going to so much trouble to make the whole arrangement profitable.

He was equally unwilling to take a seriously ill Stent into hyperspace.

He retrieved the ship's medical scanner. "Right. Let's see what we've got."

"That will not be necessary."

"I'm not taking your word for that."

Stent closed his eyes.

"Look, I don't know whether it's something you ate or something completely different. For all I know, you could have picked up some horrible local infection." Eli activated the scanner. "Remember when I got sick and we thought it was just something I'd eaten? Turned out to be pancreatitis. I'm not making that mistake again."

"Your symptoms were rather different."

"Yes, well, they didn't come with a convenient label saying pancreatitis, did they? You can tell me I'm overreacting once we've made sure you're not about to need a hospital."

Stent regarded him for a moment, then reluctantly held out his arm.

Eli took a series of basic readings, comparing them with the medical information they had accumulated during their travels. His temperature was slightly elevated, his pulse faster than usual and there were early indications of dehydration, but nothing suggested an immediate medical emergency. The scanner's diagnostic recommendations were irritatingly conventional: rest, fluids, observation and professional medical attention if the symptoms worsened or failed to improve.

He studied the results for another minute before deciding that they could probably depart without putting Stent at unnecessary risk.

"If you're still like this tomorrow, we're finding a doctor. I don't care where we are."

"I expect to recover considerably sooner."

"Good. Then you won't have anything to complain about."

Eli retrieved a packet of oral rehydration salts from the medical supplies, emptied its contents into a bottle of water and shook it until the powder had dissolved. He handed it to Stent.

"Drink this. Slowly. And you're staying in bed."

"We need to depart."

"We do. And fortunately, I know how to fly our ship."

Stent looked distinctly dissatisfied with that answer. "Tee can assist you with departure."

"Exactly. Between the two of us, I think we can manage to get a freighter off the ground."

"I am perfectly capable of assisting."

"You're perfectly capable of staying here and drinking that. If I need you, I'll call."

Eli left before Stent could produce another objection.

Their departure clearance arrived twenty minutes later.

Eli had finished the preflight checks, verified that the additional cargo was properly secured and confirmed their revised manifest with the port authority. Tee was already connected to the navigation computer, performing the final systems checks while Eli reviewed their assigned departure corridor.

He was just about to contact traffic control when Stent appeared in the cockpit doorway.

Eli turned around. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Stent ignored the remark and made his way to the copilot's seat. He looked marginally better than he had half an hour earlier, although Eli suspected that was largely because he had changed into clean clothes and made an effort to appear presentable.

"I thought I told you to stay in bed."

"I have no intention of remaining in bed while we depart."

"You're ill."

"I am aware."

"Then why are you here?"

Stent lowered himself into the copilot's seat with rather more care than usual. "I would prefer to be available if you require assistance."

Eli stared at him for a moment, then decided that arguing was unlikely to improve either of their conditions. "Fine. But I'm flying, Tee's handling navigation, and you're not touching anything unless I ask you to."

"Agreed."

"And if you feel worse, you're going straight back to bed."

Stent nodded.

Eli turned toward the controls, privately congratulating himself on having reached an agreement without further argument.

It lasted approximately four minutes.

They were completing the final departure checklist when Stent abruptly stopped examining his display. Eli noticed him swallow, straighten in his seat and then close his eyes with an expression of increasing discomfort.

"You all right?"

Stent didn't answer immediately. Then he unfastened his restraints. "Excuse me." He was out of the cockpit before Eli could say anything else.

A moment later, Eli heard the unmistakable sound of someone being violently sick in the fresher. "Oh, for kriff's sake." Tee emitted a concerned series of beeps. "Yes, I know. He should have stayed in bed." Another beep. "No, we're not cancelling departure just yet. Finish the navigation checks, will you?" Eli opened a channel to traffic control and requested a short delay while he checked on his copilot.

He found Stent leaning over the fresher, looking considerably worse than before and apparently regretting every decision he had made since sitting down for lunch.

Eli crouched beside him. "Well, that settles it. You're definitely not flying."

Stent managed a thoroughly miserable look in his direction. "I had not intended to." He said in a hoarse voice.

"No, of course not. You just wanted to supervise."

He waited until Stent was reasonably comfortable, fetched him some water to rinse his mouth and helped him back to his cabin. "Right. Into bed. And this time, I mean it."

"I can manage."

"I'm sure you can. But I'm also sure you don't want to spend the next hour sitting in the cockpit wondering whether you're going to throw up all over the navigation console."

Stent offered no argument.

That worried Eli considerably more than any of the complaints he had made earlier.

He checked the medical scanner's latest readings, made sure Stent had his bottle of rehydration solution within reach and promised to return as soon as they were safely in hyperspace.

Then he went back to the cockpit. Tee greeted him with an impatient whistle. "Yes, yes. I'm coming."

He settled into the pilot's seat, secured his restraints and examined the revised departure clearance. Traffic control had assigned them a new window, and they had another fifteen minutes before they were due to lift off.

Eli brought the engines online. "All right, Tee. Looks like it's just you and me." The droid beeped enthusiastically. "And before you get any ideas, you're handling navigation. I'm still the captain." Tee's response sounded suspiciously argumentative.

Eli grinned despite himself and requested final clearance.

The Faded Glory lifted from her berth without incident. Tee handled the navigational updates while Eli guided the freighter through the designated departure corridor, joining the steady procession of commercial vessels climbing toward Phindar's orbital traffic lanes.

Once they were clear of the atmosphere, he transferred the approved route to the hyperdrive computer and instructed Tee to perform the final calculations.

Their first jump would take them back along the Salin Corridor toward Botajef. From there, they would continue along the Celanon Spur to Drackmar before making the final local connection to Quelli.

Eli checked the figures, confirmed that their course was clear and engaged the hyperdrive.

The stars stretched into brilliant lines, and the Faded Glory entered hyperspace.

Only then did he allow himself to relax. He glanced at the empty copilot's seat.

For nearly six months, he and Stent had flown the ship together, dividing the work according to their schedules and whatever needed doing. Eli was perfectly capable of handling the vessel without him, particularly with Tee assisting, but the empty seat felt strangely wrong.

He instructed the droid to monitor the navigation systems and got up. "Keep an eye on things. I'm going to check on our patient."

Tee acknowledged the instruction.

Eli found Stent asleep in his cabin, one arm resting across his stomach and the bottle of rehydration solution standing beside his bunk. His color was still poor, but he appeared considerably more comfortable than he had an hour earlier.

Eli checked his temperature once more, reassured himself that nothing had changed for the worse and quietly left him to sleep.

If Stent was not substantially better by the following morning, they would find a medical facility at their next stop, delivery deadline or no delivery deadline.

For now, however, there was little else he could do.

He returned to the cockpit, settled into his seat beside Tee and brought up their flight plan. "Well," he told the droid, "at least one of us is having a good day." Tee beeped. "Don't you start. I'm perfectly aware that we still have a hold full of cargo and half a common room full of machinery."

He took another look at the route ahead. Several days to Quelli, one increasingly expensive shipment and a copilot who had apparently been defeated by a plate of seafood.

Eli decided that their newly established freight business was going to require a rather more comprehensive definition of operating expenses.

Stent had spent a thoroughly unpleasant night alternating between his bunk and the fresher, with occasional intervals during which he managed to sleep. At approximately four in the morning, he had seriously considered aborting the hyperspace route and finding a doctor on the most nearby planet available.

Stent had looked absolutely dreadful.

Fortunately, by breakfast, there were signs of improvement.

Eli found him sitting in the common room with a cup of tea and the expression of a man who had developed a personal grievance against his own digestive system.

"Morning."

Stent looked up. "Good morning."

"How are we feeling?"

"Better."

"Really?"

"Somewhat."

Eli considered that an improvement. "Think you can manage breakfast?"

"Perhaps later."

"Fair enough."

He sat down opposite him and examined the cargo arrangements.

Their additional shipment now occupied a carefully designated section of the common room. The containers had been secured to reinforced attachment points using cargo restraints from the hold, leaving a narrow but perfectly serviceable passage between the galley and the sleeping quarters.

Their dining table remained accessible.

Technically.

Eli had spent a considerable portion of the previous evening arranging the containers to ensure that nothing obstructed the emergency equipment, the principal access routes or Ch'eth's enclosure.

The result was not especially attractive. It was, however, functional.

Stent examined it with an expression of profound disapproval. "I see you finished the loading."

"Every last crate."

"And the inspection?"

"Passed."

Stent looked at him.

Eli smiled. "The supervisor checked the manifest, confirmed the total mass and inspected the hold. I showed him the additional containers afterward. He wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but apparently they need this equipment delivered badly enough that nobody wants to make an issue of it."

"The common room is not an approved cargo compartment."

"That's why we're calling it temporary supplemental storage."

"That designation has no regulatory significance."

"Not officially."

Stent rubbed his forehead.

Eli decided that this was probably not the ideal moment to discuss Imperial transport regulations. He retrieved another cup of tea instead. "Here. Drink that. And before you start complaining about the cargo, I'd like to remind you that I spent half the night wondering whether I was going to have to drag you to a hospital."

Stent looked genuinely surprised. "My condition was not particularly serious."

"You looked terrible."

"It was unpleasant."

"That's one way of putting it."

Stent accepted the tea. After a moment, he said, "I apologize for leaving you to complete the loading."

Eli stared at him. "Stent, you spent most of yesterday in the fresher. I think we can forgive you for not personally supervising every cargo restraint."

"Nevertheless—"

"Drink your tea."

Stent complied.

Eli decided that the matter was settled.